We highlight the best offerings from this year’s online edition of Amsterdam Dance Event.
Normally, the annual electronic music conference Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) sees thousands of DJs, producers, labels, industry heads, and music enthusiasts alike flooding into the Dutch capital every October. They come to share new ideas and technology, discuss hot-button issues about the state of the scene, and, of course, party alongside some of the world’s best electronic acts.
With COVID-19 concerns, however, this year’s program will be broadcast online, giving anyone around the world the opportunity to participate in the most significant gatherings of minds in dance music. As we close one of the most consequential years ever for dance music, coming together to discuss the year’s most important topics have never been more important.
Find out how to buy your ADE Pro badge, which runs 75 euro and offers discounts for next year along with other goodies, here.
And learn more about some of the most crucial topics at ADE’s digital conference below.
Wednesday, October 21st
On day one, Amsterdam Dance Event links up with Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Festival to offer an intimate look into the scenes and sounds emerging across Africa while touching on the developments, opportunities, and struggles there. After that, keynote speaker Jori Lowery — founder of the agency Conflux Connect — will present a dynamic examination of how sexual misconduct in the music industry affects everyone, and will end the talk with imaginative and creative solutions on how to eliminate sexual violence within our industry. Ending the day with an extensive three-part talk chat about the current state of the live events, a panel of agents, promoters, managers, and festival organizers will tackle COVID’S huge negative impact on both large-scale and small-scale events. Throughout, speakers will present their thoughts and strategies on adapting and saving the global live scene.
How Africa is Redefining Electronic Music
Sexual Misconduct in the Music Industry: Some Solutions
New opportunities for the Live Industry
Thursday, October 22nd
Day two starts with celebrated singer-songwriter and producer James Blake sitting down with Clinical Osteopath Jennie Morton, who specializes in the field of Performing Arts Medicine, to discuss why creatives are among those most vulnerable to depression and addiction. After that, Michael Ugwu (FreeMe Digital), Patrick Moxey (Ultra Records), and Beatport’s own Susan Gloy-Kruse will discuss new tech-based opportunities for labels and their acts, the sociological and societal shifts of music in 2020, and what the post-COVID structure of the music business might look. That’s followed by a discussion on how labels can adapt to these new realities, then techno act Bloody Mary, BBC Radio 1’s Danny Howard, SoundCloud’s Jack Bridges, and MixCloud’s Xanthe Fuller will discuss how new technology can help artists make newfound connections with their fans, create engaging virtual shows, and get them appropriately paid for their work.
Friday, October 23rd
Friday begins with a conversation between Robert Hood and Femi Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend and activist Fela Kuti, on the inseparability of politics and music in their lives. A panel follows that on Gender Equality on the Workfloor featuring Sarah Hildering, Matt Adell, and scholar Sam Warren. After that, an expert group of speakers will discuss strategies on how to combat the physical and mental toll of lockdown, which has had an outsized impact on electronic music enthusiasts and creatives.
A Conversation with: Femi Kuti & Robert Hood
